Former NBA forward Chase Budinger was victorious in the AVP's inaugural league championship.

Budinger and the San Diego Smash beat the Dallas Dream in Sunday's final. He was on the winning side along with Miles Evans, Geena Urango and Toni Rodriguez.

It was a true team effort because a "Golden Set" determined the championship after the men's and women's teams from San Diego and Dallas were deadlocked after their encounters.

In the tiebreaker, the men and women alternate after one team scores eight points. The pair of Urango and Rodriguez had the Smash up 8-5 before handing things over to Budinger and Evans, who avenged their loss to the Dream's Miles Partain and Andy Benesh, per the Orange County Register's Elliott Teaford.

"It wasn't our day, but it was their day," Budinger said, referencing Urango and Rodriguez. "They played really well today, and they really helped us win this."

The 36-year-old continues to thrive on the sand after hanging up his basketball shoes.

Budinger was a highly decorated volleyball player in high school before focusing on basketball full time in college at Arizona. After spending seven seasons in the NBA and one playing abroad, he retired in 2017 in pursuit of a volleyball career.

His hard work paid off this summer when he and Evans qualified for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. They advanced to the round of 16, where they lost to eventual bronze medal winners Anders Mol and Christian Sørum.